Georgia Football: Offense
By Danny Bishop
Aaron Murray, photo by Sonny Kennedy, http://www.sonnykennedyphotography.com/
Georgia coach Mark Richt and a delegation of players met with the media Tuesday during the Bulldogs’ weekly press luncheon. They offered the following comments:
Coach Mark Richt
On Aaron Murray’s legacy at Georgia…
“I don’t know if it’s done yet, but obviously a lot of the book has been written on him and his career. I’ll remember him because he is probably one of the better team guys that we’ve had. We’ve had a lot of good ones, but I don’t know if I’ve ever even heard him come close to tooting his own horn. It’s always been about the team and about deferring credit to other people. It’s always been about trying to win rather than get a record. Even coming back was a relatively unselfish act in my mind – to come back and try to help Georgia win, and he’s done that. Just from a technical standpoint, he has improved every year, and even that last ballgame. I don’t know how many times I’ve said it, but when you watch the game live, you knew he played good, but you go back and watch the film and you feel like he played even better. He’s a pretty spectacular performer. There were some throws that he made that were just pinpoint, and they had to be, but he made it look easy because he kept putting them on the money and kept moving the chains. He kept putting points on the board in the fourth quarter. He’s a good player.”
On losing three senior offensive linemen after this season…
“I know between the Georgia Tech game and the bowl game, you’ve got a lot of time to reflect on those kinds of things. I’m not going to say things like that never cross my mind, but I won’t bring it up to staff, and I won’t be talking to anybody about those things. But you know, those things will roll through my mind once in awhile, but I am one to focus on what’s happening this week and next week, obviously, but I know there’s a little bit of time in between. Really that bowl game is the end of the year and the beginning of another year. The bowl is a different type of deal than where we are right now, but I do appreciate the job that our senior offensive linemen have done for us. They’ve played very well.”
Tailback Todd Gurley
On sending the seniors out with a bang…
“We want to win regardless. It’s a conference game so we definitely want to finish off strong and get a win for the seniors.”
On what QB Aaron Murray has meant to the team…
“Aaron has been awesome. Just being here for as long as he’s been here he’s done so much for this team and the university and it’s going to be hard to replace him next year. He’s definitely the best quarterback in SEC history. The record says it all.”
On whether or not Murray’s legacy will be tarnished by a lack of championships…
“Sometimes the best don’t get championships, especially in college football where you lose one game and it’s kind of all over. Stuff happens and he’s just been great even with all the injuries to his teammates. I don’t think he’s missed a game since he’s been starting. For him to fight through everything for four years straight is crazy.”
Tightend Arthur Lynch
On being a senior and playing in his last home game this Saturday…
“It’s been a good ride. We’ve proven a lot of things to ourselves and other people about what kind of team we put on the field every week. I think the record doesn’t really show as good of a team as we have, it’s just kind of how the chips fell throughout the season and you can’t really do much about that. I am excited, but it’s going to be kind of depressing and sad at the same time because I have so many memories and so many close friends here. It will be a special moment.”
Quarterback Aaron Murray
Reflecting on Saturday’s loss at Auburn…
“I would rather get blown out than lose a game in that kind of fashion so it’s tough. It’s tough for all of us, but I think we’ve had some tough losses this season and we know how to come back and get back to work and get ready for another opponent.”
On how he felt about his personal performance in spite of the loss…
“There were definitely things I missed here and there. A couple of checks, some throws I wish I could have gotten back, but like you said, the most important thing is whether we win or lose. Personal performance is second best after that. I wasn’t thinking ‘I played well today,’ I was thinking ‘I can’t believe we just lost that game.'”
On if he’s proud of his durability…
“I am definitely proud of the way I’ve been able to play this long. It’s been a little bit of luck, too, because I’ve definitely taken my share of shots that you see end people’s seasons all the time. But no matter how I’m feeling, if I have even a remote chance of playing I am going to make it happen.”
All photos are copyrighted property of Sonny Kennedy Photography,
http://www.sonnykennedyphotography.com/